Activity Theory: Implications for Human-Computer Communications

Communication, for any individual, is the essence of existence. To communicate, is a symbol of life, desires, or emotions. Creatures without communication, are like dumb piece of furniture kept aside.

And as we see in present scenario, communication has rather became an Art, a thing to learn, and practice, and to improve upon. Proper communication channels has always been the basic necessity for a progressing community, since many centuries. But now, communication has gone one step further. Need of effective communication has become vital element, not only for human-machine, and even between machines.

As is described by Mr Victor Kaptelinin in his theory about Implications of Activity Theory in Human-Computer Interaction, rate of development in technology is directly related to improvements in Human Computer Interaction (HCI). All people working with computers, including not only the graphic designers, or software engineers, but even people from Medical, Psychology or even finance streams, face serious problems in putting their thoughts into the actual practical implementation on the system. They find it difficult to communicate to system, about how to respond to certain situations. These dumb systems do not has minds like humans, and it understands only a specific set of commands, as designed by the architects.

So instead of treating computers as just a tool, which Mr Kaptelinin did in his above mentioned theory, we need to keep Humans and Computers into a single 'community' under the Activity Modal. And hence, we must be interacting with computers as like another human, understanding what they say, and telling them what we want. And the tools may include the hardware, or even the logical code used by the systems, for its analysis over the objective.

And like said in the Diversity Modal, 1989, by Fig . Kaptelinin, Victor(1994)
Hirschheim and Klein, this communication can
be kept in the first quadrant. This communication will have a clear objective, computer should understand very clearly, what is it told to do.And to complete the said task, it can use its analytical ability, to find an orderly way to achieve its objective.

Fig. Hirschheim and Klein(1989)

With limited set of rules to interact with systems, the other dimensions also gets bounded. Due to these limitations, even the best modals find it difficult to put the effectively designed systems in place. And this gap in communication becomes the hindrance for an efficient society, where humans and computer can coexists at same level.

And hence arises the need for an effective way of communication between humans and computer.


References :

Kaptelinin, Victor(1994). Activity Theory: Implications for Human-Computer Interaction NATO ASI SERIES F COMPUTER AND SYSTEMS SCIENCES

Hirschheim and Klein(1989) The Diversity Modal